Central to the NCI?s surveillance enterprise system is the population-based high-quality SEER Program that covers 28% of the U.S. population. SEER collects information on incidence, survival, and prevalence from specific geographic areas and compiles reports on all of these areas plus cancer mortality for the entire U.S. The sentinel 2005 paper on a national framework for cancer surveillance in the U.S. (Wingo et al, Cancer Causes and Control 16:151-170, 2005) characterizes the critical importance of SEER, other registries, clinical and payer systems, health surveys, and other information sources. Through special studies, linkage to regional and national data sources, as well as collaborations with other surveillance partners, senior leaders in the SEER Program have been at the forefront of the development and deployment of innovative data coding systems, applied information systems and technical tools, and analytical methodology to advance operations, quality, utility, performance, and interpretation of national cancer burden and progress built on the SEER Program. It also provides essential data to support research and decision-making across the NCI and collaborating organizations in the U.S. and around the world. SEER is recognized internationally as the gold standard for cancer surveillance systems. As our understanding of the biological and genetic determinants of cancer evolve, terminology and classification systems for characterizing the diagnosis and therapy for cancer will continue to change. The NCI SEER Program and associated surveillance systems will need to adapt data collection processes and cross-walks appropriate for the emerging clinical care, translational research, and public health infrastructure. Developmental and pilot studies will need to be designed and implemented to assure relevance, compatibility, interoperability, and evidence-based informed decision making within the SEER Program and across the broader national and international cancer registry-based surveillance community. SEER works with other organizations involved with cancer surveillance, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?s (CDC) National Program of Cancer Registries, the American College of Surgeon's National Cancer Data Base, the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), and numerous international organizations and agency partners. These partnerships have resulted in the establishment of a number of ongoing committees charged with the development of data collection standards, oversight of their implementation, and continuous improvement. SEER also works with international organizations such as the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) and the International Association of Cancer Registries (IACR).